Many modern automotive vehicles include side airbags which, upon inflation, protect the vehicle occupants from injury during a side impact or rollover. These side airbags may be either of the roll-up or accordion-style configuration and are mounted to a rail above the vehicle side windows. Upon inflation, the airbag ideally extends downward from the rail and entirely covers the side windows. For example, with reference to FIG. 1, a rail mounted airbag 100 is mounted to a vehicle frame 50 using airbag mounts 200. Upon sensing a side impact or rollover of the vehicle, deployment switch 500 activates airbag inflation device 150. As shown in FIG. 2, the rail mount airbag 100 inflates a series of cells in a first direction 1.
In order to prevent any portion of airbag 100 from exiting vehicle front side window 52 and/or vehicle rear side window 54, a guide bar 110 and tether 120 are employed. The tether 120 slides along the guide bar 110 from the guide bar's top to its bottom. In doing so, the tether 120 provides tension on the rearwardmost cell 105 of the airbag 100 in a second direction 2 to ensure that airbag 100 entirely covers the side windows 52 and 54.
One disadvantage of these previously known airbag constructions, however, is that it is difficult to design the tether 120 and guide bar 110 such that the tether 120 freely slides along the guide bar 110 upon airbag inflation. Consequently, in the event that the tether 120 does not freely slide along the guide bar 110, incomplete coverage of the window 54 and/or window 52 by the airbag 100 can result. In the event complete coverage of the windows does not occur, objects from outside the vehicle can enter the vehicle and harm the driver or passenger and/or objects from within the vehicle can be thrown outside. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an ejection control mechanism that ensured complete coverage of the side windows of a motor vehicle.